Category Archives: Uncategorized

One cannot mention John Ford’s 1937 movie, “The Hurricane,” without expressing admiration for its incredible special effects.  Naturally, the hurricane that comes towards the end of the film takes center stage, but the film also contains a compelling story about … Continue reading →

The full-color “Duel in the Sun,” released in 1946, offers the unbeatable combination of King Vidor as the Director and David O. Selznick as the producer. Made at the Selznick Studio for a massive $8,000,000, the film does not skimp … Continue reading →

A hard-hitting movie from Warner Brothers came out in 1933 that depicts the ravages of the Great Depression on adolescents.  “Wild Boys of the Road,” directed by William Wellman, tells the story of an honest boy named Eddie (Frankie Darro) … Continue reading →

I always thought there was a dark underpinning to much of Charles Chaplin’s comedy, but some people that I meet at silent film festivals tend to dismiss him for being too light.  However, their complaints about his sentimentality will be … Continue reading →

Before TV, jet planes and cell phones, there used to be a big difference between the city and the country.  Just look at the countless Hollywood movies that play on the misunderstandings between the sophisticated city dweller and the rube. … Continue reading →

From Belgium and released in 2011, “The Kid With a Bike,” written and directed by Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne, gives us a slice of life about a boy abandoned by his father.  The boy, Cyril, played with unrelenting sternness … Continue reading →

Even though I try to see every Woody Allen film, I became particularly intrigued by “Blue Jasmine (2013)” because Allen filmed some of it in San Francisco. I’m used to seeing my city portrayed in many films as a romantic … Continue reading →

The 2013 film, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” features my hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  In the movie, a group of high school students cope with acceptance at a suburban Pittsburgh high school.  Steven Chbosky wrote the novel and the … Continue reading →

Lots of goofy things happen in “The Wrong Box,” a 1966 movie directed by Bryan Forbes and starring Michael Caine, Ralph Richardson and John Mills. When the parents of a dozen children establish a tontine, a monetary instrument that draws … Continue reading →